You may have recently heard of Timberline Knolls for the high-profile admission of Ke$ha on Friday, January 3, 2014. Or maybe you heard of Timberline Knolls when Demi Lovato was raving about it to MTV when she was discharged several years earlier. Both of these and many other celebs are drawn to Timberline Knolls for their quiet, discrete environment with a good reputation for getting young women healthy.

Reviews

We take reviews from the internet lightly since they could have been written by competitors (yes, that really happens), written by staff posing as program alums or written by actual alums. Unfortunately - there's just no way to know for sure so be cautious when considering the reviews. Most of the negative reviews for Timberline Knolls across these sites indicates pretty good clinical program, really nice setting, but super high pricing which may not be very transparent (not currently listed on their site) and significant problems with the Timberline Knolls administration for various issues.

Google Reviews: 2.8/10 (10 Reviews)
Yelp Reviews: 5/5 (2 Reviews)
Mixed
8 Complaints
6 Complaints

Who They Serve

They admit women ages 12 - 60’s to extremely discrete care (lots of celebrities). Timberline Knolls recognizes that recovery from eating disorders, addiction and the other conditions is a lifelong process for women. Women require different tools as they move through different phases of life. Their customized program addresses the unique treatment needs of women at various stages of life.

Many adult women come to Timberline Knolls after having been in recovery for many years. They offer programming tailored to the specific needs of mature women, including those of mothers with children at home. Many clients come to them having been triggered by complicated life events like a death in the family, divorce or significant career challenges.

Residents live in separate lodge settings based upon their age. Adolescent girls attend school at the state-approved Timberline Knolls Academy. They benefit from the tight integration between the classroom and a therapeutic living environment that supports their social, developmental and clinical needs. Check out their video here.

Location

timberline-knolls-campusTimberline Knolls (40 Timberline Drive Lemont, Illinois 60439) is located on 43 wooded acres just a few miles southwest of Chicago, less than a half-hour's drive from either O'Hare or Midway Airport. An interesting side-note: The campus received recognition for its beauty from the American Institute of Landscape Architects. The tranquil grounds contain a lake and reflecting ponds, an historic art studio, comfortable contemporary residential facilities, and outdoor activity fields.
Residents are housed in one of four residential lodges, (Oak, Maple, Pine and Willow), which are staffed 24 hours a day with nursing and clinical support staff. Timberline Knolls also employs on-campus security staff 24 hours a day to protect the safety and privacy of both residents and staff.


Fees, Insurance and Financing

$875 per day. The daily rate is inclusive for all clinical, educational, psychiatric, behavioral/milieu, nursing, and expressive therapeutic services on a 24 hour, 7 days a week basis. Individual, family, and group therapies are included. It also includes all meals and lodging. The daily rate is based on a tuition model of monthly billing. Non-included services are off-site medical services such as pediatrics, gynecology, dentistry, dermatology, hospitalization, urgent care, emergency care, urine/blood/lab work, etc., and medications. If any of these services are required, the specific provider of those services will directly invoice the parent(s)/guardian(s) or their insurance.

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Most people see a psychotherapist/counselor for the mental benefits of having someone to talk through certain life issues like depression, anxiety or substance abuse. What many people do not realize is that seeing a therapist might also have tax benefits. Most mental health appointments are deductible, but the deduction may not actually help you on your income taxes, depending on your financial situation. Read on to learn when and what could be deductible. This may get more complicated if you consider using a health savings plan to pay for services.

Qualifying Expenses

Only medical expenses that are for the "diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or payments for treatments affecting any structure or function of the body." Your therapist appointments are deductible as a medical expense, according to IRS Publication 502, but only to the extent it is for medical care. You can also include the cost of therapist appointments for your spouse or your dependents, if applicable.

Psychological Medical Care

We are often asked about whether we accept insurance for our mental health and family services. Less frequently, though, we are asked about the tax implications of mental health services. To start the conversation, we put together a quick overview of what, if anything, can be deducted from your taxes.

What Therapy Counts?

The therapist's treatment must be related to treating a physical or mental issue. For example, the IRS ruled that marital counseling to improve the marital relationship was not deductible as a medical expense since it was not related to a mental or physical defect. However, in other rulings, the IRS has held that the cost of psychiatric treatment for sexual inadequacy and incompatibility was closely related enough to a medical or physical defect that those costs could be deducted. This gray area comes up often which is why you should consult your tax professional AND therapist.

Medical Deduction Limitations

Just because a therapist's appointment qualifies as a medical expense doesn't mean you will actually be able get credit for it on your tax return. In 2012, you can only deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income. For future years, the floor goes up to 10 percent. For example, if your AGI is $51,000, using the 10 percent floor, you're only able to deduct your medical costs that exceed $5,100. Unless you've got a very expensive therapist, you're probably going to need some other medical expenses to be able to take any deduction. You may also want to learn more about Health Savings Accounts vs. Flexible Spending Accounts - check out the Official Fonthill Counseling Blog on HSA vs FSA - ?p=1250

Itemizing Required

You must itemize your taxes in order to claim your therapist sessions. If you can only deduct a few hundred dollars or so after accounting for the AGI floor, you might not benefit if you give up your standard deduction to itemize. However, if you were already planning to itemize because of other itemized deductions, such as the mortgage interest deduction or charitable contributions, any medical expenses can also be deducted without further cost.

Don't rely on this blog post for tax decisions. Consult your tax professional. Make sure to coordinate with your mental health provider as well.

Before we dive into understanding the options for Therapeutic Boarding Schools, let's quickly review what they are

The Rise of Therapeutic Boarding Schools

As public schools across the country have slowly been pruned back by state legislatures, funding for behavioral, emotional and academic support have nearly dried up. Therefore, it's not surprising private institutions like boarding schools and private schools have exploded. One of the fastest growing kinds of boarding schools is called Therapeutic Boarding Schools. Therapeutic boarding schools maintain the advantages of traditional boarding schools such as intimate class sizes, individual attention, great academics, developing student self-reliance, and the fun of living with peers in a completely “child-friendly” environment.

Some therapeutic boarding schools specialize in helping teens overcome certain psychological problems such as Attention Deficit Disorder, Bipolar, Asperger's and even Depression. Others have programs for overcoming substance abuse problems or achieving weight loss. Some specialize in helping students who lack motivation get a fresh start in a nurturing environment. Most have some sort of family or parent involvement piece to ensure a team approach (ie. Weekly family therapy via phone or Skype).

Expense or Investment?

Parents often find themselves in a desperate situation with a troubled teenager. Their daughter runs away from home again, gets caught with the dealer down the street, crashes another car, and has yet another arrest. Parents become afraid for their teen’s lives as their teen’s risk-taking and lifestyle keeps becoming more extreme as the parents' ability to set boundaries and expectations seemingly erodes.

It's hard to think clearly and find solutions at times like this. Therapeutic boarding schools and therapeutic wilderness programs can provide answers, but they come at a price, with some programs running upwards of $50,000 a year.

But cost doesn’t have to be an insurmountable obstacle in getting your teen the help they need. Parents in similar situations have come up with creative ways to finance therapeutic boarding school, knowing that their child desperately needs an intervention.

Top 10 Ways to Pay for Therapeutic Boarding School

Here are 10 ways families just like yours found to finance their teen’s therapeutic program:

1. Hire a Case Manager: Make sure they are UNAFFILIATED with any program and have the clinical expertise to help advise and guide your family through the whole process. Some clinical educational consultants that specialize are able to handle this. A great case manager will be able to create a treatment plan, explain the process for getting a comprehensive psychological evaluation, walk with you through the intake process, support you while your teen is in the therapeutic boarding school, and coordinate discharge planning to ensure a seamless transition back to home or college. The last piece is essential - making sure your teen has everything they need to succeed after they return. Great case managers also know how to secure reimbursement from insurance providers for teens that attend therapeutic boarding schools. There are definitely some tricks and inside knowledge necessary to make this happen.

2. Find the Program's Financial Aid Officer: The private school or wilderness program should have a financial aid officer who can advise you about how to finance your child’s education. You should ask this person what programs, loans, discounts, or financial aid the school offers. Find out exactly what is included in the tuition and board bills, and if there are additional expenses such as buying uniforms or paying special fees for sports.

To read more (since we only have limited space here at go to the Official Fonthill Counseling blog - ?p=763